


The End is the Beginning

by scripturamortem



Series: 30 Days with the Uchiha [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Deviates From Canon, M/M, Multi, Romance, There will be some timey wimey stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-24
Updated: 2016-10-24
Packaged: 2018-08-24 10:01:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8368126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scripturamortem/pseuds/scripturamortem
Summary: It's the night before Naruto's wedding and he's having second thoughts.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is part 1 of a fairly long series I will be writing. Lots of time traveling and romcom nonsense will follow. The first couple of chapters are a bit serious but this whole thing is actually a Sasu/Naru comedy. It takes place in a modern day AU. While the first part is canon compliant it does end up drastically straying from canon. Hope you guys enjoy!

The unforgiving chill of October air hit Naruto as he stepped out of the noisy bar where his friends were gathered in revelry. Though he had snuck away for a moment of quiet solitude he couldn’t completely escape the sounds of exuberant celebration pouring out of the bar. It was the night before his wedding and his closest male comrades decided to commemorate the momentous occasion by hosting a last minute stag party for him. And while he was grateful for the kind gesture and enjoyed the company, Naruto had admittedly felt distressed the entire evening and needed a break from pretending otherwise. He looked up at the full moon illuminating the night sky and thought for a moment about how exhausting it was to pretend to be happy.

“Did Kiba’s singing scare you away?” A familiar voice calls out from behind him. He turns around to find Shikamaru lighting a cigarette. He shoves the lighter into his pants pocket before slowly walking to Naruto’s side.  
Naruto quickly straightens his back - his lips curving into a small smile. “Nah, Kiba was good! I just needed some air. It was getting warm in there.”  
Shikamaru narrows his eyes suspiciously and blows a puff of smoke from his lips. “You’re getting cold feet, aren’t you?”  
Naruto lowers his eyes and nervously rubs the back of his neck with his right hand. Leave it to Shikamaru to see right through him.  
“I guess I’m a little anxious,” he admits still smiling.

Lying to Shikamaru was pointless. He was one of the most perceptive people Naruto had ever known - and one of the few people he felt he could trust implicitly. As difficult as it might be to be forthcoming about his feelings, not being honest with Shikamaru would only make him feel guilty. And he had enough to feel guilty about.

  
Shikamaru grins and reaches out to place a comforting hand on Naruto’s shoulder. “I can understand why. Tomorrow is a big day. But everything will be fine. Hinata’s great. And she’s cared about your for a long time.” He gives Naruto’s shoulder a light squeeze.  
“Yeah, she is great.” Naruto agrees. He raises his eyebrows and leans his head closer to Shikamaru. “You know who else is great? Temari.”  
Shikamaru looks away and huffs in response. He takes a final drag of his cigarette before tossing it to the ground and crushing it under his shoe. “Temari is pretty cool,” he mumbles under his breath nonchalantly.  
“Maybe you two will get married next.” Naruto suggests winking at his flustered friend.  
Shikamaru nods seriously despite the flush of crimson spreading across his cheeks. “No. I don’t want to deal with any weddings for a while. Planning yours has been a pain and I’d like to avoid getting involved with another one for as long as I can manage.”  
Naruto laughs and slaps Shikamaru on the back, “I’m sure Temari would want to be in charge of all the details. All you’d have to do is show up!”  
Shikamaru snorts, “You’re not wrong there. The two of us couldn’t be more different when it comes to stuff like that.”  
“It’s not a bad thing,” Naruto says, “Especially if your differences compliment each other. ”  
Shikamaru sighed. “Do you feel that way about Hinata?” he asked after a moment of silence.

Naruto thought of his fiancée: the loyal, kind, demure Hinata. While they did have their share of differences he couldn’t say whether any of their disparities necessarily benefited the other person. They both got along very well and respected each other. There was nothing about Hinata’s personality that was exceptionally challenging or made up for something he lacked. She was a skilled shinobi and compassionate individual. She cared about her comrades and would do anything to protect the ones she loved - all qualities the two of them shared. She had been raised in the head branch one of the most prestigious clans in Konoha. His parents died the day he was born. One of the most significant similarities between them was their underdog spirit. They both shared a desire to change the way they were perceived by the people around them. They fought to surpass every negative expectation bound to them; they strived to be more than weak failures incapable of having a place in the shinobi world. And Naruto believed deep within his heart that the two of them inspired and encouraged each other to achieve that goal. He always rooted for Hinata and her selflessness and ability to persevere never ceased to inspire him in turn. The two of them were more alike than one might expect.

“No,” Naruto answered looking once again at the night sky. “But I have felt that way before about someone.”  
The truth was in all his years he had only encountered one person whose entire being seemed to be made up of everything Naruto was not. To clash with such an opposing force filled him with an inexplicably thrilling sense of completion. But he had made a vow to refrain from letting that person freely roam through his mind. Though it was an impossible feat on nights when the sky was clear and the moon shined bright and the whole world somehow felt smaller. Even though he could have been anywhere in the world, Naruto couldn’t help but feel like Sasuke was close whenever he gazed upon a full moon. It was comforting to imagine the luminous moonlight delicately touching Sasuke’s skin - even if he couldn’t be the one to touch him.  
The two of them were extremely different but not in the way fire differs from ice. To Naruto, Sasuke was the moon to his sun: they were two opposing entities whose existences were cosmically compatible. After all, it was impossible for the moon to shine without light from the sun.

“You should call it a night,” Shikamaru’s voice shook Naruto from his thoughts. “You have to be up early tomorrow. And I don’t want to be the one to have to explain to the guests why the groom was late to his own wedding.”  
“Yeah, I should get going. I’m feeling pretty tired.” Naruto agrees and it’s not a total lie. He chooses not to explain that the source of his exhaustion is more mental than physical, or that he wished he could manipulate time to make the night last twice as long. Because he wasn’t sure if he was ready to walk down an aisle that led to a lifetime with Hinata Hyuga. And he was struck with conviction for thinking of a man he loved but hadn’t spoken to in almost two years.  
“Naruto. Be on time tomorrow,” Shikamaru says seriously.  
Naruto frowns, “You should tell that to Kakashi. He’s the one officiating the ceremony after all.”  
“Sakura is in charge of making sure Kakashi gets there on time. I’m supposed to look after you. But it would be a huge pain to have to come get you because you’re late. So be there.”  
Naruto rolls his eyes and waves at Shikamaru as he turns around to head home. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll be ready on time. Goodnight, Shikamaru. Tell everyone I said thanks again.”

Naruto walks down the dimly lit street in the direction of his apartment. A gust of wind nearly blows his scarf off and he secures it around his neck before tightly hugging his arms around his body for warmth.  
He turns the corner and immediately catches sight of a person leaning against the side of a building. He instinctively reaches into his left back pocket and draws out a kunai. Years of being a shinobi and fighting in a world war has a tendency to make one overly cautious. He continues to watch the person out of the corner of his eye as he passes by. It’s hard to make out any distinctive physical features because they are wearing a hood and shrouded in shadows. The only source of light on the deserted street is a flickering street lamp. The inconsistent blinking of the light causes Naruto’s anxiety to spike. It wasn’t like he couldn’t take on a threat by a random civilian. He just didn’t like the idea of Konoha becoming the kind of place where senseless attacks happened.  
“Hey,” the stranger says.

Naruto stopped walking and slowly turned to face the stranger; fiercely clenching his kunai. Upon closer inspection he realizes the person is wearing tattered pants and shoes that had seen better days. Their cloak is riddled with holes and the edges are frayed. Naruto relaxes and put his kunai away, reaching for the loose change in his pocket instead. Beggars were not a common occurrence in Konoha but Naruto was not one to judge. Perhaps this person was a traveler who found himself in a bind.  
He walks over to the stranger and shoved the money into the person’s hand.  
“Here you go! It’s not much but it’s all I have on me. It should be enough to buy yourself a bowl of ramen at least. Good luck!” he says waving at the cloak figure standing in the middle of the street with his hand in front of him. Naruto turns back around and continues on his way, feeling relieved that he was able to help the person rather than fight for his own protection.

“Hey, idiot. I don’t want your money.”  
Naruto freezes mid step.  
He recognizes the stranger’s voice.  
But it couldn’t be…  
…Could it?  
His heart beats wildly in his chest as he turns around to face the stranger. His hands and legs fall heavily at his sides.  
“A-are you…?” he manages to mumble past numb lips.  
The person walks closer, steps into the light, and removes their hood.  
Naruto’s breath catches in his throat as he looks into the eyes of the person who has occupied every dream he’s had for the past week.  
Sasuke smiles, “Long time no see, Naruto.”


End file.
